Do you ever struggle with fridge clutter?! As organized as I am in many areas of my life, I used to find it hard to keep my fridge organized and felt like I never had enough room for everything. One day it was like a light bulb suddenly went off in my head and I realized that if I could create "drawers" that pull out, it would be a lot easier to separate food items, put groceries away, and cook! I shared my fridge organizing system today with
Dave & Deb of Moody Radio on their Daybreak show because Deb asked me for my best kitchen organizing tips.
Here they are...
I bought these white baskets with air holes at
Target. They have both small and medium sizes and the ones in my fridge here are the medium size. You can also
buy similar baskets at Container Store. That tan bin you see is actually a
plastic dishpan, so you could use those too if they fit in your fridge. I like the baskets from Target because they're heavy, have air holes which keeps produce fresher, and the cold has not cracked them.
My hubby and I have a home cooking system down that suits us both: I make the grocery list, cook the meals, set a pretty romantic-style table with placemats, cloth napkins, and a candle, and I clean up after meals and oversee keeping the kitchen clean and organized. He shops for groceries, (he's a Costco king!), washes and cuts up produce and puts it in plastic containers, and puts the dry dishes away. When we entertain, we work together as a team. We're both happy with our system because he doesn't like to cook that much and I don't like to go to the grocery store. (But go figure, we both like to eat.) :) Oh, and I also shop for groceries online at
Vitacost, which I LOVE because they have organic food at FAB prices with free shipping on orders over $50. When the order arrives, we both unpack it.
Please create a kitchen and food prep system that works for your marriage and family so that everyone is happy and
stick with it. And please don't get caught up in comparisons with the Jones' seemingly gourmet meals from their pristine kitchen, because for all you know, they're hiring an expensive personal chef or their mother-in-law comes over to cook and clean while they both work all day. Okay, probably not, but you get my drift about "thou shalt not covet your neighbor's gourmet kitchen." :)
See how my "drawer" pulls out? Actually, it's really even better than a drawer, because I can put the plastic bin/basket on the kitchen counter easily so I can see what I need for food prep. Easy peasy!
I even use the baskets in my fridge's freezer, just the same way. I only keep in them the ingredients I need to create my meals because...
When I cook now, I make a double batch and then divide portions into plastic containers which I stack in the baskets. This avoids processed food; I make almost everything from scratch. With my double-batch freezer method, my hubby also then has a healthy entree to take to work for lunch every day, and on the days I'm busy with tight writing deadlines or media interviews, I have a healthy entree on hand as well.
My other best kitchen organizing tip I shared with Dave and Deb for their
Moody Radio show listeners is to use all-white dishes and glassware. It saves kitchen cupboard space because everything matches, rather than having several different sets of colored dishes. If you break a piece it's no biggie as you can easily replace just that piece, and mix and match different styles and designs of white dishes for an interesting look. Use colorful placemats and napkins and fresh flowers to add color to your table so you'll be dining in style both every day,
and when you entertain guests.
Okay, so now you're gonna go organize your own fridge, freezer, and kitchen, since it's National Get Organized Month, aren't you?!
Aren't you??!
I just knew you would. :)
Kathryn
